GoGoBoy

My guess is that nominal amounts would refer to things like re-painting and refurbs such as what has happened at The Beach. It probably also includes new additions like the Super Hero retail outlet. That's the problem when you have a theme park owned by an asian (Malaysian) company. They don't understand that you need to invest large amounts of money to get money back. They have the same attitude with staff... pay them absolute minimum wage but still expect the best performance from them. I don't really think that attitude works in Australia.

Sorry to disappoint you Johno but those 'levels' you are talking about were merely scaffolding erected so the free fall and speed slides could be accessed and refurbished. The levels are now gone. NOW FOR MY OPINION ON THE BEACH UPGRADE: It's definitely a shame that there is no new attraction at The Beach this season. They really needed it as the queues can get quite long lining up for the few slides in summer. Even the Mountain Cascades seems to have officially closed as the sign has been painted over and the area closed off. They should have either fixed the cascades up or put something new in its place. It is a largish area right at the entrance to the waterpark which is now not being used. Also, regarding the upgrade of the tower and slides... I can't understand why they only repainted the speed and free fall slides as the Aqua Tube is looking old and slightly faded too. They should have given it a touch up at the same time. So overall I think it's a nicely themed and landscaped area but compared to other waterparks it really is very basic and certainly dated.

The Beach opens tomorrow (Saturday 20th)... so to all you believers out there... where are your new waterslides?

I can see the confusion here... I think you mean Giant Drop not Big Drop

Wonderland still has an in-house photographer at the park each day. The photographer comes out with the Marvel characters (usually in Botany Bay) and offers to take your photo with the characters. I believe the photos are then available for purchase at the end of the day. I also noticed recently that the quality of the on-ride Space Probe and Demon photos has really impoved over the years. They are now quite large colour photos. Also, the folders that the photos come in are fantastic. The graphic design is excellent and is individually themed according to each ride. Very cool souvenirs.

Hmm interesting Michael. I'm definitely looking forward to any info you can gather re sunway's future investment. I have always been disappointed by the fact that Sunway does not make Wonderland's financial details public. Afterall, Sunway is a public company. I'm always very interested to read through the Warner Village parks detailed results, which are all accessible on their website.

Nice pics Flea. You'll have to make sure you get some of The Beach and Super Hero Headquarters when they open. I agree with Richard regarding the new colours in Transylvania... I quite like them. I think Goldrush needs a bit of a repaint next. I know it's supposed to look old and rustic but some of the signs and facades have almost totally faded away. I drove past the other day and noticed The Beach tower. It is looking good and almost looks brand new. I have to say even if Wonderland does not open a new attraction for the coming season, at least they have performed some great presentation maintenance. Also, with the opening of the huge new retail section soon, it should be a good summer!

Well you all seem quite convinced that The Beach is getting new slides. I however, am not so sure, being the doubtful person that I am. They're going to have to start building quickly as they have under 3 weeks to get 3 new slides up. While I can see that The Beach is certainly getting a detailed refurb I'm not convinced about these slides... not in time for this season anyway.

Oh no... of all things why a kids theme park? What about us big kids? I'll never recover from my sadness over the fact that the Melbourne Studio City theme park never went ahead. They were apparantley going to inject $500 million into just the theme park itself. Such a pity.

Apparantley wonderlands staff have been officially told by management that The Beach is getting a full refurb but nothing has been mentioned about a new slide. I find it difficult to believe then that the receptionist would be privy to info regarding the new slide if no one else is. I am guessing she is perhaps a little confused. As much as I'd like to see a new slide in time for The Beach opening... I won't be holding my breath.

Yes I agree completely. It WAS very well done. Often when theme parks are featured on holiday shows the segments are very average. Some of the visuals were fantastic. I wanted to send an email to The Great Outdoors to congratulate them but can't find an address on their website.

Thunder, I definitely agree with you on this one. I think your contact in management was probably just referring to the refurb of the speed and free fall slides when they mentioned 'new slide'. It would be nice if they were a little clearer though wouldnt it? So misleading! I'm looking forward to seeing what response you can get from them now. Oh and by the way I think you originally mentioned a competition was being held to launch this years season of The Beach. This is correct. The competition is going to be called something along the lines of 'Message in a Bottle'.

I have received some official news from contacts within Wonderland regarding plans for the waterpark. At this stage The Beach will not be getting a new attraction, just a basic overhaul. The following work is being carried out prior to this seasons opening (most of this we have already discussed) - 1. Tower supports are being repainted and some of the stairs are being repaired. 2. The free fall and speed slides are being refurbished. 3. The pools will be repainted. 4. New beach huts and seating areas will be added. 5. Overall colourful paint job to liven the place up a bit. It does not sound like there are any plans for the rumoured 'slide'. You never know what's going to happen in the future but at this stage there definitely hasn't been any info released.

Nightshifter that is all OLD news which we have already discussed. Except at this stage they are not repainting the slides, just refurbishing the tower and supports. Also, the slides ARE still connected to the tower.

Shaun, I agree with your above post. I can definitely imagine it re-themed as The Hulk. I think it would be crazy for Wonderland to buy the Bolt for obvious reasons. DW is surely getting rid of it because of all the complaints. I certainly hope a representative from Wonderland had a ride on the coaster in its recent state before making any decision. My question is what would Wonderland have to do to turn it into a relatively enjoyable ride? What is it specifically about the Bolt that makes it so painful? Would it be a matter of designing a whole new train? Or would it be possible to just change the wheels on the train to make it smoother? Also, is there anything that would need to be done to the track? Being a tall person I can remember having my legs squashed each time we'd hit a corner. It was horrible.

Oh no... I truly hope Wonderland has not bought it! Imagine waiting 10 years for a new ride only to end up with a refurbished Thunderbolt. That would be too sad.

Hmm I just had a look at the Sally website and I don't know if I'm very impressed with the standard of their rides. Has anyone here actually been on a Sally dark ride? Any comments? Perhaps Wonderland is planning to install a 'Jocco's Mardi Gras Madness' ride, as described on the site at http://www.sallycorp.com ... that would explain the new Mardi Gras colours in Transylvania as discussed in another forum

I sure hope that doesn't happen! However, if they did end up re-theming the land I'm sure they could come up with some better choices than the names above Does anyone else have an idea why they have chosen these colours for the shops? Also, has anyone been able to peak over into HB Land lately? Is the Beastie still standing? I have heard that it has been semi pulled apart.

The first thing I thought too was that this could have something to do with Marvel. Perhaps they are recreating the area and turning it into a new super-hero themed land? It would be so much better though if they would keep transylvania as it is and add a NEW separate Marvel themed area. Come on all you investigative types... do your best to find out and let us know!

I completely agree with Dianna. Posts which provide as much detail as possible about rumoured new attractions are great but otherwise they are a waste of time. I will not start being grateful until there is some genuine info coming out. The info also then needs to be proven eventually for the poster to gain any real respect.

Slick, Sega World was actually quite large for an indoor theme park. Perhaps you were looking at the wrong spot? It used to take up the whole upper level of the Darling Walk retail complex. The entry was on the mezzanine level, under the blue cone. Actually that water playground thingy that I was talking about earlier is still there even today. It is called 'Pondamonium' and it's right outside mcdonalds. The whole complex has failed though and will undergo a total redevelopment over the next few years. The entire upstairs space (once Sega World) is now empty and they have been unable to do anything else with it.

Yeah the photo you are talking about was not actually from inside Sega World. It is a little water feature playground which is in on the lake in Darling Walk; the retail complex which used to house Sega World. The park never really made any money from what I can gather. The management were hoping the olympics would boost the trade but it never happened. They also tried upgrading the park over the last few months... spending millions on new attractions. This didn't work either. Eventually the owners decided it was time to pull the plug. The former owner of Sega World is now running a business called Brilliant Digital at http://www.brilliantdigital.com and is closely associated with Kazaa, a popular file swapping program which is run by the old CEO from Sega World - Nikki Hemming.

You can go on a speed slide or free fall slide at just about any water park... they are a very standard attraction with the same configuration everywhere. An old concept really. I like Wet n Wild's new upgraded version of the old speed slide - speed coaster. I personally love the Aqua Tube. Lots of fun. The only problem is the queue to get on it is soo long during peak periods because there are just not enough attractions in The Beach to keep people busy.

Apparantley it's The Beach's 10th bday. I would have thought the new slide/s would be built in time for this years season opening sometime in September. I doubt that's going to happen though. So maybe you're right... IF it's going to happen it's more likely to be xmas. I can't believe The Beach has been there for 10 years without a single addition or change. There really is not much to it in its present state - 2 basic pools, one enclosed flume and a standard speed and free fall slide.

If you haven't already, make sure you visit the following site - http://worldwidejeb.org/words/2001/12/13/ Although it's slightly out of date, it's a very funny review of amusement parks around Australia. It includes all the main parks and also a lot of lesser known parks... some I didn't even realise existed!